2024-07-27 08:48:33
You’ve probably seen a few castles on hills over villages as you’ve traveled through Spain, and that’s because they’re everywhere.
Each of the 50 regions of Spain has at least a dozen or two, if not hundreds, as in the case of Barcelona, Cuenca, Cádiz, Soria, Zaragoza or Guadalajara.
An interesting article with an interactive map of the castles of #Spain to identify its origin and location: prehistoric, Roman, medieval, modern, and also walls, walls…
I’m sure you like it @Paco_Almanzor #story #geography
📷⤵️ pic.twitter.com/elVHg50tZC
– German SG (@ingeododo) November 25, 2021
The preservation of these institutions of medieval (and more often than not Moorish) Spain was especially important for Spain’s Fascist dictator Francisco Franco, who issued a law in 1949 which banned any Spanish the castle (castle) to be demolished.
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However, the Spanish castles are “in general” in “disastrous, tragic fate”, Miguel Sobrino, author of the study “Castillos y murallas”, told the Spanish daily El País.
From the Napoleonic Wars to poor restoration works between the 1960s and 80s, there are many reasons that mean some of these castles are in such a poor condition.
The castle of Cea (León) was very important during the wars between Alfonso VIII of Castile and Alfonso IX of León. With the Union of governments that lost importance and today the fight is for its ruins to be filled and continue standing. pic.twitter.com/NQ9wrFDjka
– Tomasa Travels (@ViajesDeTomasa) April 18, 2024
“Castles are like beetles, they die and dry inside, but they seem to be alive because the exterior does not change,” Sobrino added in comparison to the fact that many of these walls still look impressive from the outside and from afar.
Others blame the lack of funding from public coffers, and the fact that there is no law in place encouraging private investors to act as patrons for Spanish property. When the money comes, the mayors of the uninhabited villages where these big houses are located often do not know how to properly organize the repair.
The crumbling castles of Spain are another example of how “empty Spain” is often overlooked and neglected, despite being some of the most vivid examples of the country’s rich history.
Something that has been getting the attention it deserves (but for all the wrong reasons) is a tourism campaign in English by the government of the north-western region of Galicia.
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“It’s a match, Galicia” reads the poster, with a symbol of fire and, in the background, a photo of the wild forests of Galicia’s Ribeira Sacra.
It is meant to draw a comparison between Tinder’s “You have a match” slogan when the dating app puts two people together, and the fact that Galicia is ‘a perfect match’ for tourism.
Despite what the Ministry of Culture says, don’t take matches to the top… pic.twitter.com/WXG9kEyqxg
– Duarte Romero Varela (@Xan_Guindan) July 25, 2024
However, social media users were quick to point out that the words and images appear to be inciting people to set Galician forests on fire.
“Since the Culture Council told you to do it, don’t take the matches to the mountains,” a user X wrote jokingly in response.
Even though it’s a harmless lost-in-meaning gaffe, forest fires are no laughing matter in Galicia, or anywhere else in Spain.
Galicia has its worst forest fires ever in 2022 and next year is even scarier for fire (forest fire) in Spain, more than 85,000 hectares have burned.
The year 2024 has not been a bad year for forest fires yet (46 percent less than in 2023), but we are in the middle of the hot season in Spain, when these destructive fires tend to be very angry and for a long time.
#crumbling #castles #Galicias #pyromaniac